Books published by publisher Trafford

After months of living a normal life, thirteen-year-old Alyssa McCarthy faces magic again. Only this time, though, she is cursed with it, thanks to an old depressed skeleton named Errol. Alyssa's time with her godfather, Alex, will never be the same again, as she can perform sorcery, but never control it. From letting out enchantments at school to creating outdoor disasters, Alyssa is bound to face consequences. She can only get rid of her powers if she can boost her confidence levels and improve her bravery. But it's not as easy as it sounds. She must measure those abilities with a special device called a skillometer. Will she be able to get rid of her unwanted wizardry?

DEDICATION & THANK YOU Dear tiny angels, slippery tadpoles, and sugar bears everywhere! When I was little (just about your age), I visited my grandparents in New Bedford, Massachusetts for summer vacations. Grandma always had fun lessons waiting for us "city kids" She brushed our hair, ironed our underwear, and hung the laundry on the clothesline while holding clothespins in her mouth! My brothers and sisters would race through the yard, screaming and yelling, tripping and falling, climbing the cherry tree, and getting our new clothes muddy or dusty or torn. She cooked every meal we ate. No restaurants for us, no sir! We had no television. Grandma said, "Read a book! Write a poem! Let's start a choir! Sing, children" Then she would sit at her piano and lullaby us to sleep after a hard day of having fun! When she had spare time, she would say, "Run and hide" This would end up being a fun game of PEEK-A-BOO . . . Grandma-style! Peek-a-boo was the most amazing, absolute best fun EVER for me! I dedicate my summer memories to Lucy Louise Green Barbour, my grandmother, my mentor, my cherry-pie-from-scratch baker! Now that I am a grandmother, I dedicate this book to Leah Renee, Lilah Gizelle, and Leslie Marie-my three granddaughters! "Run! Hide! Grandma's coming" Winifred "Oyoko" Loving St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands

Informing children about death, dying, and spirituality can be difficult. How do you explain to a child what it is like to die?. Then along came fifteen-year-old Aron. His understanding of spiritual things was profound. He said "eternal life is a process that never stops... it goes around and around... Heaven is the place where your soul is free." When the manuscript and pencil drawings of Thunder 'n Lightning were presented to him, he said "Oh yea!" Aron was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He knew he was going to die prematurely. He said "I always wanted to be a nurse so I could help people and kids. Because of my cacner I may never grow up and become a nurse. So I want to help now." Thunder 'n Lightning Explain What it's Like to Die... is his story... his journey! Help Aron Help: White Mountain Hospice Foundation, Inc. email

Sasha and his friends prepare for an upcoming day of fun and activities. Sasha wants to win in the fishing contest, but needs to learn exactly how to catch the biggest fish in the stream! He finds a new friend, Penelope, the sassy duck to teach him the skills of fishing; but when sudden illness befalls him, can he manage to overcome the sorrows of his past? With the mean old wolf, Rasputin, out seeking revenge on him and his friends for the time they outsmarted him, will Sasha again manage to best his foe and be the victor...the warrior once more? Will he learn the ways of the bear and truly become all that a bear can be? A delightful children's book, filled with adventure, danger, courage and friendships. Lessons of strength and wisdom woven in between the lines, for all!Rated 5***** by readers.

Adventures of a "Gringo" Researcher in Brazil in the 1960s or In Search of Cordel is an entertaining and informative account of Professor Curran's first foray in Brazil. In this book he tells two stories: the research to collect cordel and, perhaps more importantly, the travel and the adventures of the year in Brazil. The two are inseparable and complement each other. Chapters include Recife and the Northeast, Travels to the interior of the Northeast, research in Brazil's colonial capital of Salvador da Bahia, research and tourism in Rio de Janeiro, trips to the interior of Rio, including Ouro Preto, Congonhas do Campo, and a memorable trip on a wood-burning stern wheeler on the Sao Francisco River in Minas Gerais and Bahia, and finally, research in the Amazon Basin, including both Belem do Para and Manaus. The account is not in academic language but in a colloquial, conversational style. Curran writes as one sitting down with the reader and telling tales of his travels, and perhaps with the author and reader enjoying a caipirinha, or a Brazilian draft beer choppe as they talk.

Revisit the world of Coomacka Island as Anansi Jr., the great-great-great grandson of legendary trickster Anansi Spider, learns a lesson in true friendship. Coomacka Island is a mysterious uncharted island (meaning that you won't find this island on any map) in the Caribbean Sea. Four unlikely explorers stumbled on to this wondrous island while searching for the legendary Macka Tree. Anansi Jr and the Mango Truck is but one of many stories that the explorers documented on their travels through Coomacka Island.

How important is it to feel loved and accepted even when you look imperfect and different than the rest? To Tee Low, a mouse with a knot in his tail, it meant everything to him. After enduring name-calling, teasing, being outcast and excluded from playing with others because of the knot in his tail, Tee Low finally does become a hero in the valley and becomes the most celebrated and loved mouse in the meadow, and it was especially because of the knot in his tail. Time and Time Again is a story of time travel, deceit, and murder. From Desert Storm to primitive New Mexico, Jon Allen Stanton lives a double life, one of a twentieth-century man and one of a man caught up in a time warp and living in prehistoric times. His life and purpose for living in those ancient times is a compelling adventure set in two different worlds. Revelation after revelation makes this story take many different twists and turns and lead main character Jon Stanton from now back to then.